Dear Mr. Ralph Cooper,
I'm the "Aviação Naval Brasileira" webmaster, a web page about the history of the Brazilian Naval
Air Arm (only Portuguese version now). I'm always working on it and from time to time I get new information. The last thing I heard
about 1 Lt Jorge Henrique Moller is that he became disappointed with his commander's lack of view about the air arm and abandoned
the military service in 1915 and went to merchant navy.
Regards
Guilherme PoggioEditor's Note: If you read Portuguese, you can enjoy Mr. Poggio's very comprehensive and informative website by
clicking on the title above. If you need the text in an English version, you will find a selection of one relevant portion immediately
below.

BRAZILIAN NAVAL AVIATIONfrom Aviação Naval Brasileira
English Version of a Selected Portion

"Birth of Brazilian Naval Aviation
The first Brazilian military man with a Pilot's License"

After Dr. Cadaval concluded his studies and his research in Europe, Lieutenant Jorge Enrique
Moller, engineer officer in charge of the engine section of the Directorate of Machines of the Navy Armory, determined to organize an
aerial weapon in Brazil. In order to travel to Europe, the Lieutenant requested and obtained authorization from the minister of the Navy
to study aeronautics in Europe. He attended the Farman School of Pilotage and on 29 of April of 1911, Moller received his Pilot's
license, (3), becoming the first military aviator in the country to acquire it. In that same year, with the knowledge acquired in the
exterior, he published "Aeronautical Military man", in which he described the state of the art of aviation in France, Italy and
Switzerland, with special reference to the operation of aircraft (2). His spirit was contrasted with the indifference of the high officials
of the Navy in relation to the aerial weapon. Discouraged, the lieutenant resigned his commission in 1915 and dedicated the rest of
his life to coastal navegation (2)."B i b l i o g r a f i a
(1) ABRANTES, A. Aerostoplano - Galeria dee Inventores Brasileiros. Disponível em: .
Acesso em: 18 abr. 2005.
(2) Fundação Museu da Tecnologia de São Paulo. A criação da Escola de Aviação da Marinha - A HISTÓRIA DA INDÚSTRIA E
TECNOLOGIA AERONÁUTICAS.
Disponível em: . Acesso em: 19 abr. 2005.
(3) COMFORAERNAV. Histórico. Disponível em: . Acesso em: 25 jun. 2003.

COMMANDER JORGE HENRIQUE MOLLER, married Ana dos Santos, a native of Portugal, as soon she arrived in Brazil. Thereafter, she was called Ana dos Santos Moller.
They had children, but as the Commander was a very generous person, he was always deeply involved with his nephews.
Possessed of a privileged intelligence and a broad culture, he was dedicated to botany, medicine and music. In one of his residences, located on
Rua da Passagem,, in Rio de Janeiro, he had several greenhouses, where he performed experiments with seeds and where he was active in the planting of fruit trees and
rare flowers. That residence featured both fountains and waterfalls which birds were free to visit.
Because of his love of art and in honor of his Egyptian heritage, he had many objects in his home from that country, as well as a room which was
decorated with Egyptian frescoes.
In his family, there were musicians and he developed a love of instruments such as the cavaquinho, a Brazilian instrument similar to the
banjo and a violin, his inseparable companion, even when I was on board ship.
He studied homeopathy in osme detail. He was a man of many accomplishments. Among others, he liked to make perfume, using rain water
and may have acquired this hobby when he lived with his beloved wife in Paris. He also lived on Rua Marques de Abrantess and Rua Clarice Indio in Brazil.
When he died, he initially was buried in the crypt of the airmen, and later was transferred to the family grave in the same cemetery, the
Cemitério São João Batista, no Rio de Janeiro.
These are some details regarding this distinguished and magnanimous human being, who, nevertheless, lived in a simple and unpretending
manner, notwithstanding his achievements in Brazil and elsewhere, with emphasis on the opening of several fronts favoring nature protection. Regarded as a visionary and
forerunner of modern ecologists, it is not surprising that he became a close friend to Santos Dumont, who also lived ahead of his time, becoming
a prominent inventor and idealist. Both mourned over the use of airplanes as tools for destruction.

ONLINE RESOURCES

If you search for "Jorge Henrique Moller", using the Google search engine, (10-17-03), you will
find about 10 links. Among the most helpful are the following.

This useful bit of history came from the Diretoria de Aeronáutica da Marinha website. Unfortunately,
the article seems to have disappeared from the net. (10-17-03) To visit the homepage of the website simply click on the title above.
Luckily I had copied a portion of the article which you can read just below.

"Five years after the pioneering flight of Santos Dumont, in 1911, two events highlighted the interest
of the Navy in aviation, in a prophetic vision of the potentials for its role in the military field. The first event referred to Navy Lieutenant
Jorge Henrique Moller who won his wings in France on April 29, 1911. He was the first Brazilian military man to receive such training.
The Aéreo Clube Brasileiro, (Brazilian Aero Club), 14/10/1911 was established on October 14, 1911. The first president was Almirante
Jose Carlos de Carvalho. "

The other links only mention the fact that Moller was the first Brazilian military man to be trained as an
aviator.

At this time, I have no information as to the dates of his birth or of his death.

Editor's Note:
If you have any more information on this Early Flier,
please contact me.
E-mail to Ralph Cooper